Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, June 30, 2019
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff Founder
Main Idea: Trust in God is developed one small successful experience at a time, built over a lifetime.
The psalmist here is likely David, writing either early in his life as a struggling youth, or later in his life when enemies pursued him. Despite his suffering, he calls to God for help. More than that, he proclaims his trust in God despite his fears and challenges.
Trust is not an easy thing to earn, nor is it easy to give. Yet he is (and we are) asked to trust in a God he can’t see, hear, or touch (not tangibly, anyway). So, how does he know that God will be faithful? Experience and faith, primarily.
God has helped David in the past: “you who have been my help.” Remembering God has been faithful in the past helps ground him in trust for the present. Along with experience, trust comes with faith—believing something to be true despite a lack of tangible evidence. Experience and faith are a powerful combination toward building trust.
Many in our culture today are challenged to trust. We have been burned by so many already—our experience suggests trusting can be a precarious trait. Trust must be nurtured from the moment we are born. Some of us lacked in the time and attention we needed—if we cannot learn to trust in those responsible for our care, we will struggle to trust our whole lives.
And like products in a grocery store, religions offer so many perspectives on spiritual matters, it can be hard to sort through it all. We can learn to have faith, yes—but in what? The psalm suggests we nurture faith in the one whose light shines on us and through us. It’s faith in the one who hides us from our enemies. Faith in the one who teaches us. Faith in the one whose goodness is pure beauty and strength. We will all shape our understanding of God differently. But we can learn to trust in God by practicing trusting in each other, whether or not our understanding of God is similar. Trust is earned one small successful experience at a time, built over a lifetime.
How might we nurture our ability to trust this week? Ideas?
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